The San Antonio Spurs Biggest Mistake in the Past Ten Years

Jun 16, 2005; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; TIM DUNCAN and coach GREGG POPOVICH of San Antonio during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on June 16, 2005. The Pistons beat the Spurs 102-71. (Photo by Sporting News/Sporting News via Getty Images)

The San Antonio Spurs Biggest Mistake in the Past Ten Years

The San Antonio Spurs have arguably been the most successful franchise across all sports for the past two decades. The Spurs have won 50 games in 17 consecutive seasons. The only reason that it hasn’t been 19 straight seasons is because of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. They still went 37-13 in that 50 game campaign. Clearly, the Spurs haven’t made too many mistakes. With a dominant core, superior management, and one of the best coaches in the history of the game, the small market San Antonio Spurs have thrived in a league that is so often dominated by big market teams.

The 2013 NBA Finals

In the past ten years alone, San Antonio has won two titles, which is an incredible feat; however, that number could have easily been three if it weren’t for a rare coaching mistake made by Gregg Popovich three summers ago. The 2013 Spurs were just seconds away from adding another banner to the rafters at AT&T Center. Literally, just seconds away. We all know what happened in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, when Ray Allen‘s historic three pointer sent the game to overtime. His iconic stroke of beauty from the corner is undoubtedly one of the most memorable shots in NBAhistory. For Spurs fans, Allen’s shot and Mike Breen‘s exhilarating “BANG!” represent the agony of defeat.

It’s tough to blame anyone on the court for giving up that game-tying three pointer. Chris Bosh grabbed a tough rebound in traffic, and then one of the greatest shooters in the history of the NBA nailed an incredibly difficult shot – a shot that was well contested by Tony Parker. Parker quickly ran to the corner to defend Allen and did the best he could without fouling. So if it wasn’t anyone’s fault on the court, then who could have prevented that shot, and ultimately prevented a Miami Heat championship? The answer comes from the sidelines, where Gregg Popovich made one of the most regretful coaching decisions of his Hall of Fame career.

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